Various methods may have been used for the development of materials and/or catalysts. Appropriate catalysts may be intended, for example, to change the gas composition of a gas. For this purpose, an appropriate gas may be guided past the catalyst. To test whether the catalyst converts the gas mixture, among other things, the heating of the catalyst caused by the conversion may be measured using an infrared-thermographic metering unit. In this case, for example, numerous catalyst samples of a great variety of types positioned side by side may be tested simultaneously.
Using this technique, it may be only determined whether a catalyst sample interacts with the gas mixture, i.e., whether it converts the gas mixture or not. However, it may not be determined in this manner whether the catalyst sample produces the desired product or whether an undesired product is produced instead.
Alternatively, gas chromatography methods may also be used in appropriate tests to determine the composition of the gas mixture conducted past the catalyst sample. Using these methods, in contrast to the method previously described, it may be determined whether the catalyst sample produces the desired product.
However, in this case, even one catalyst sample may require a considerable effort. Because of this, use in combinatorial chemistry, for example, in which as many different samples as possible are to be tested, may be limited.